Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Cathedral of St. Paul's new, mighty pipe organ: Minnesota Sounds and Voices
  A pipe organ worth the name should cause dress hems and pant cuffs to flutter just a bit. And the refurbished instrument at the Cathedral of St. Paul ought to do just that when it goes into service on March 30.3:43 p.m.
• Festival celebrates, demystifies owls
  The 11th International Festival of Owls takes place this weekend in Houston in southeastern Minnesota.3:49 p.m.
• The Cube Critics: 'Jack the Giant Slayer' is cheerfully stupid; 'The Gatekeepers' riveting
  Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis discuss "Jack the Giant Slayer," and "The Gatekeepers" in this week's Cube Critics.3:53 p.m.
• How does Mayo stack up against its competitors?
  Minnesota's Mayo Clinic wants to secure its position as a leader in the health care industry, and has proposed a $5 billion expansion plan to accomplish that goal. But Mayo faces competition from several well-funded global medical centers, and that's part of the reason the clinic says it needs to build for the future.4:49 p.m.
• Best Buy 4Q loss narrows; deadline for Shulze bid passes
  Best Buy's earnings report comes just hours after a midnight deadline for company founder Richard Schulze to make an offer to buy the company. The deadline came and went with no announcement of any offer or deal.5:24 p.m.
• Cathedral of St. Paul's new, mighty pipe organ: Minnesota Sounds and Voices
  A pipe organ worth the name should cause dress hems and pant cuffs to flutter just a bit. And the refurbished instrument at the Cathedral of St. Paul ought to do just that when it goes into service on March 30.5:54 p.m.
• Festival celebrates, demystifies owls
  The 11th International Festival of Owls takes place this weekend in Houston in southeastern Minnesota.6:20 p.m.
• The Cube Critics: 'Jack the Giant Slayer' is cheerfully stupid; 'The Gatekeepers' riveting
  Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis discuss "Jack the Giant Slayer," and "The Gatekeepers" in this week's Cube Critics.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Obama Says He Can't Force A Budget Deal: 'I'm Not A Dictator'
  Congress failed to reach an agreement on the spending cuts known as the sequester — and now they are out of time. On Friday morning, Congressional leaders from both parties met at the White House. Afterward, House Speaker John Boehner made it clear that Republicans won't budge on taxes.
• Week In Politics: Sequester, Voting Rights Act
  Audie Cornish talks to regular political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss the sequester and the Supreme Court's consideration of a Voting Rights Act case.
• Earth Provides Little Warning Before 'Catastrophic' Sinkholes
  Melissa Block talks to Anthony Randazzo, professor emeritus at the University of Florida's Geology department, about the science of sinkholes.
• Major League Soccer Finally On Solid Footing, But Hasn't Reached Big Time
  Major League Soccer gets underway this weekend. We preview the teams and what to expect this season.
• Natural Gas Dethrones King Coal As Power Companies Look To Future
  It's a brave new energy world, with two major opponents: natural gas and coal. As prices fluctuate and renewables, such as wind and solar, fight for a share of energy generation, there's heated competition for access to your wall socket.
• Study: Depression, Autism And Schizophrenia Share Genetic Links
  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may be linked by common genetic risk factors, according to a new study published in The Lancet. Audie Cornish speaks with study author Jordan Smoller of Harvard Medical School.
• Fairy Tales For Grown-Ups? More Are On The Way
  A slew of new fairy tale films is on the way to your nearest cineplex, but the intended audience might not be what you'd think. Bob Mondello explains how these movies, like their audiences, are growing up, taking on adult themes and dealing with the fears of a new generation of young adults.
• How Did Our Brains Evolve To Equate Food With Love?
  Until recently, our brains' way of connecting food with love and a sense of well-being was purely a good thing. But in a world where it's possible to feast every day, it can be a problem.
• Pentagon Won't Feel Most Of Sequester's Effects Until Summer
  Across-the-board spending cuts are set to go into effect on Friday. But the sequestration will be more like a long slope than a cliff. Pentagon officials don't expect serious cuts — like furloughs and lost flying time — to kick in for at least two months.
• Despite Sequester, Government Shutdown Remains Unlikely
  The long-feared automatic spending cuts are set to start late Friday, and now Congress must deal with another deadline at the end of this month. Tamara Keith talks to Melissa Block about what happens next.

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